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Note: Yes, it has been awhile but this blog is and always will be in my mind. You will soon see why I’ve stayed away for so long.

I love the written word. I remember, that as soon as I learned my ABC’s, I would “read” a magazine and say every letter of an article out loud to anyone who cared to listen. When I did learn to read for real, I read every chance I could. Scarcity of children’s books in my home – we didn’t have enough money and there were no libraries around – made reading even more enticing.

When I was 12, my grandparents finished building their dream home just in time for their 50th anniversary. It was a big celebration and most of my family traveled from Mindanao to Luzon to visit my grandparents. What I loved most about that house was an area beneath the stairs, full of books – including a collection of hard bound books written for young adults, of biographies and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. In a time when there was no Google, I was introduced to diverse historical figures such as Helen Keller and John Quincy Adams. That place looked so magical then that years later, when I visited as an adult who has traveled extensively, I couldn’t believe how small and unimpressive that space was.

I mention these because I have been in a state of indecision, particularly with what I want to do as a career. Recent motherhood and the economics of childcare vs. two working parents, have definitely factored into the decision-making. Having co-founded a startup and with a fresh MBA, I always thought that it is in my best interest to work for a big corporate firm to further my skills and to experience working in such an environment. Other than the fact that I only perfunctorily job-hunted, I was having second thoughts with this grand plan. Is that what I really want to do? Do I really want to abandon my daughter every weekday to an almost stranger so I can work 9-5 at a job I may not enjoy, end up disliking and get paid below market because of my relative inexperience? Never mind that I work hard and smart (this is not me blowing my own horn, this is actually from several feedback sessions with former teammates)?

With the help of D. and other family members, I brainstormed on what I love and three things consistently came up: technology, fashion and writing. Unfortunately, searching for job boards out there, we couldn’t find one that says: “If you love technology, fashion and writing, then come work for us.” Or at least, it’s not as clear cut. During one of my brainstorming sessions while nursing (of course, when do you think I have time to do this?), I realized that I will create that job. I am in a financial position, thanks to D., to be free to do what I want and still care for my daughter. I’m already writing, thanks to this blog. What I needed though is definition: what should I write about exactly? The result of that is: www.quiddityof.com.

quid·di·ty

noun: quiddity

the inherent nature or essence of someone or something.

a distinctive feature; a peculiarity.

plural noun: quiddities

“his quirks and quiddities”

Watching the video above only solidified my resolve. Fashion and technology are my interests and writing is my passion. It is time to face that head-on and start – no more excuses, especially when I am gifted with a financial freedom such as this. Though at some point (working on this), I do plan to make money out of it 😊

If you have followed me here on my personal journey, I hope that you will also follow me on my professional journey. I will be keeping this as a journal of sorts, while I write about technology and fashion on Quiddity. If you enjoy my writing, feel free to share it, comment on it – whether it’s just to cheer me on or provide some feedback.

Three years ago, during a crazy Halloween party in Miami, dressed as Rainbow Brite, I kissed a boy dressed as a fireman. And we’ve been together ever since.

Of course, there’s a lot of in-betweens: such as getting married, living in 2 countries, wrestling with immigration, surviving and living entrepreneurship, student loans, etc. etc. But I’ll be here in front of the computer all night.

So, after valiantly going through a derivatives lesson with D. (The Boy) related to economics, wrestling with tons of accounting assignments and facing looming finals – I will take this moment and reflect on that 3 years. Joyeux anniversaire, indeed.

Note: I did try to look for photos of that night but there is simply no picture that can be publicly posted. That’s the beauty of going out with friends (they can be trusted) and the pre-Facebook-heavy era, there’s no digital footprint (that I know of) past the first few hours of that crazy Halloween night.

More than a decade ago, I received the only “incomplete” in my college transcript. It was for swimming, which was a required course for a Fisheries major like I was. Why was I taking Fisheries? That’s another story.

The instructor deemed me un-ready to face the deep blue sea probably because I learned breaststroke by asking a friend to show me how the hands and legs are supposed to work – out of the water, even though we lived about 10 minutes away from the beach.

So, on the day of the practical exam, I blundered my way through several laps, spreading my arms wide and closing them in a semblance of a breaststroke. As for treading, I tried to learn. I really did. But 15 minutes of treading was a little too much. I’m just not a water person.

A month and a half into the MBA, I can’t say that I’m not an MBA person but I can certainly say that I just don’t do “confident.” No matter that I have practically been training for an MBA for the past 2 years – D. seldom accepting anything less than a structured and rational thought from me. And there’s that starting (and trying to start) a business in 2 countries – one could say I’m ready for this.

And yet, I feel like I’m treading just above the waterline. As hard as I study, I still feel like I’m behind. I feel like I should be absorbing more and also doing more. I broke down a couple of days before my Econ midterms because I was so worried that I don’t understand anything. I was in the median score so I might have been a little too dramatic.

So now, I feel sort of guilty that I’m relieved because:

my accounting professor had to cancel classes last week because of a knee problem; and

Because, really these two events are allowing me to catch up. And hey, I even get to write a blog post.

I should probably call my mom, too. And sleep. And read more on economics, and accounting, and update my resume… the list goes on and on. So, yeah, I’m relieved. On one hand, my professor seems to be recovering fine but fingers crossed on the hurricane leaving us all relatively unscathed.